There are a stack of Carp Cull fishing events around the traps these days. Having had some involvement in competitions to remove noxious fish in the past, I've not noticed any difference in those target fish populations in the short term or long term. The question begs to be asked "do fishing competitions really have any impact on the target species?"

If cull style fishing comps did work, in theory we would have reduced carp and tilapia numbers long ago. Add to that the general fishing pressure from recreational fishing in general and surely we should have wiped these pest fish out long ago, shouldn't we??.

I've asked this question to some people with a little more knowledge & experience in the noxious fish / catchment management and the general consensus is pretty much the same, cull comps do little or nothing to eliminate noxious fish.

Assuming we're correct, if a fishing comp is held on the banks of river X for carp for 2-3 days, are all we are doing is damaging the river bank by bringing hundreds of anglers that are walking the river bank, trampling grass and trees, dragging kayaks and boats down river banks and leaving the inevitable spot of rubbish or beer bottle that gets left behind?

So, if the objective of a cull style fishing comp is to eliminate the target species, and it fails, what is the benefit?

The answer is education.... Running comps is a key strategy to changing attitudes to fishing & awareness of invasive fish at the same time. In practice it may take a generation for those kids that attend a competition now to become adults, long term it could help stop yet another PET fish being released only to become a PEST fish.

Education and bringing people to an area that they possibly would never consider going to.The latter has an immediate economic impact and both have long term benefits. The litter problem should be minimal with responsible management and responsible anglers. The damage to the river system by Anglers would be much less than caused by livestock.CheersRay

Yeah, what SteveM said. I was ready to start typing then I read the last paragraph. Running a fishing comp, all you can catch is mature fish, you cannot rid the water of fingerlings using a hook and line.

Use the entry fee for the comp for rehabilitation and further scientific study.

Cheers,

Pete

And / or to purchase native predator fish for release into the same waterway which:A- assists on controlling (but will never remove) introduced pest fish, andB- improves the recreational fishery for native fish.

Only real way to reduce carp numbers is to make them a commercially viable species but as their profile is not what you would call good then it won't happen. The only other way of having some effect is by keeping our waterways in prime natural condition which will aid our native species and in turn reduce carp numbers. We really have to remember that carp don't do all that much damage compared to us.

I'm yet to see a way that carp can be commercially fished for (in public waters) without any impact on native fish. There's also that dirty little demon called greed involved. If fisherman X makes say $40k per annum from harvesting carp from one river or lake, what is to stop the commercial fisherman put some carp into 3 more rivers or lakes and make 4 times as much $$$... None, that's why every time the QCFO tries to slip a commercial fishery thru in on Qld sweetwater, it is opposed load and long.

You've absolutely nailed it on the habitat. Repair the damage to this & watch the natives do most of the feral fish control on their own.

That's what happened on the Dumaresq. Used to be so thick with Carp you could walk across on their backs. The overstocking of Cod that went on converted to Carp to Cod poo very quickly. You hardly ever see a Carp there now.Apart from that electro fishing is about it, but even then I have my doubts as far as effectiveness. Carp Comps are more a feel good thing than anything else. Most people know that Carp run second place to a Galah as far as table quality is concerned.JD

A few years a go we had a cold spell that resulted in a massive tillie kill out at NPD. You could not believe your eyes the amount that were washed up on the shores. Rangers had to doulble bag them, load them in to mini skips and have them removed to the tip. Did this stop, slow down or have much effect on what was left in there, not one bit. By the way at the same time when wallking the bank I came across a carp that had just died it was easy 25lbs and had egg sacks as big as bulls pills. I phoned the rangers and they came and collected it for the scientists and I never heard anymore about it.

Education is bang on. When I first moved to QLD from Sydney I lived out at Jimboomba. One of my first fishing experiences up here was going to a Carp Busters competition. Coming from a salt fishing background I had never fished inland except for Trout way down south.

It was a real education. I learnt there was freshwater to fish up here, I learnt everything about Carp (previous knowledge was 0), I learnt they were pests, how to remove and dispose of them, I also made good friends with some farmers out Kerry way as we had access through their properties to the river. It's a bit sad now it's not still happening out there, I would love my son and daughter to be a part of that.

While I think of it, on an interesting side note. I participated in the Bassin Qld Series for quite a long time. There was never any discussion at those competitions about pests we may catch and what to do if we did. These were all held on impoundments and I do know of a few talapia etc caught, but it was never made a point of.